


Outnumbered

by MetellaStella



Category: Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Canon Trans Character, Heavy Angst, Other, Political Alliances, Political Intrigue, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Doubt, Self-Esteem Issues, Trans Male Character, Worldbuilding, Worldbuilding is my anti-drug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:40:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24257554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MetellaStella/pseuds/MetellaStella
Summary: Snugglemagne, a trans man, struggles to gain respect of high-powered aristocracy after the Ruby Heart falters completely. The safety of all his people depends on it.The red caped warrior cat vows to be his bodyguard, but his explosive temper and behavior hampers things, and unbeknownst to the king, he has his own dangerous ulterior motives.AU that’s completely and totally separate from my main story Piercing the Swordsman. In fact, I’d rather you read that one first. Reasons on the inside >
Kudos: 9





	Outnumbered

**Author's Note:**

> So, in Piercing the Swordsman, Mao has a very troubled past, and anger issues, but is ultimately a supremely good man. 
> 
> Not so here. This Mao steps in and out of villainhood. 
> 
> The magic system is gonna be quite a bit different, too!!
> 
> So, I love the Swordsman one … and that is the ‘true form’ of Mao in my mind!! So hop over and give him a chance. This one is more to point up the problems of having such an angry protagonist in a show made for kids. The short, choppily animated pilot is … actually pretty disturbing if you think about it too much. Overthinking is my superpower. A 30+ yo man yelling violent threats about stabbing while a five year old cheerily looks on … and for some strange reason I *do* still find it hilarious??? IDK maybe it’s a right and left brain disagreeing thing. I know it’s for comedic effect, but IRL that type of person is … well, you know. 
> 
> You’re not really supposed to like this Mao whatsoever. His internal monologue gets pretty vile. Warning for intentional misgendering. 
> 
> Snug, in my main story, is AMAB and secure in his manhood, despite embracing a big ol’ ‘twink’ type aesthetic and being attracted to men. This Snug is trans, straight up. I don’t know if the creators of the show, given the episode where it’s revealed he has no mane at all, not just a wig to fluff it up or enhance it, intended to telegraph him as an AFAB ‘lioness’ presenting as male, but seems like just as valid and fitting an interpretation as any other. 
> 
> In fact, it fits SO perfectly that I’m tempted to pre-emptively applaud them for sneaking a SUPER clever way to introduce the topic past the radar of broadcast bureaucracy that would probably tie up a proposed human trans character in lots of board meetings. 
> 
> After all, real lionesses don’t have fatty boobs to contend with. 
> 
> That’s nice.
> 
> But obviously, lacking a mane would be a major source of dysphoria.
> 
> That easily explains why Snug might be so completely horrified by seeing its absence. 
> 
> So, pair that transitioning to male with a black cat who’s high on toxic, verbally abusive, and literally super-powered hypermasculinity …
> 
> Which is also almost practically canon . . . 
> 
> And you’ve got this friction you’ll see here. 
> 
> There will be no redemption and no romance here. Just two characters working towards the same goal … sort of. 

In the sheltered, sugary sweet haven of Pure Heart Valley, his pronouns were always respected. His mother and father had loved him. The citizens loved him. 

Everything operated in harmony. 

But everything changed when the sky pirates attacked. 

The crack in the Ruby Pure Heart had, day by day, painful moment by painful moment, splintered and spread until the entire thing ceased sending out arteries of kindly magic to the atmosphere. 

The badger had joked he didn’t like the warming sensation of the stone. 

But even he mourned when it was gone. 

Snug noticed that the citizens were less and less cheerful. There was enough residual goodwill permeating the air that they didn’t abandon calling him ‘king’ rather than ‘queen’ 

but they seemed …

… less enthused by the idea.

Sometimes … for a few of them … Eyes rolled. Unintelligible words were muttered. 

And, not to focus only on himself, he also noted in tracking opinions, that they were becoming a great deal _**less**_ enamored with their temperamental protector. 

Instead of gushing over him and only occasionally lapsing into dislike because of his attitude, their eyes became hard and they only grudgingly accepted a bare minimum of interaction when not being rescued from dragons. 

This breech in magic hadn’t happened for hundreds of years. There was no telling what shockwaves could still spread. 

The uncertainty wore on the wig-wearing lion.

He felt like a child again, looking in the mirror and wondering why in the world she pictured herself with a mane.

That stint of uncertainty lasted well into adolescence, despite relentless support.

One thing _was_ very certain though. 

If he was going to have any hope of fixing the Ruby Pure Heart, he had to recruit many, many ranks of the most powerful warlocks the world had to offer. 

And that was a tall order,

given that most of them were on the payroll 

… of other royals. 

He had nothing to offer them that other Nations couldn’t provide ten times over. 

Pure Heart Valley wasn’t by any means a poor country. But their true wealth lay in the chipper attitude of the people, the utter haven that it provided to visitors’ minds. It was a vacation destination for at least the adjacent kingdoms, though it was hard to find on a map of the globe outside of that because of the previous enchantment. It was like the Bermuda Triangle. The sky pirates had had a heck of a time finding it because of this concealment, which made all but the very best, finely tuned electronic and magic equipment go haywire. They had to painstakingly pieced together a map from old scraps scattered intentionally across many dungeons. Mao probably would’ve been impressed by their tenacity, had they been good-intentioned adventurers. 

As it was, the only thing keeping the overpowered magician from snapping their necks was his family code of honor. 

Even a loose canon like himself didn’t want to be booted out of a clan like the Mao. 

He’d have to be insane not to want their support.

The king, though, noticed when he would angrily talk under his breath to himself, making clawed motions with his hands as if to strangle the life breath out of the imagined pirates. 

They were not only ‘not enough of a challenge’ for the man, they were such a pervasive nuisance to his selfish goals of having the world fawn over his prowess that he scarcely could stand it. 

He wanted to topple tyrants and slay giants. Not hang around some glitzy Ruby with cream puff people.

He wanted people to worship his manly strength.

But, since he had essentially caused this destruction, he was reluctantly honorbound to fix it.

And, he seemed to be enthused enough at the idea of being a bodyguard.

His other … unsavory … tendencies aside.

The cat’s father had, in his many visits over the months to monitor the situation with the Ruby, continued to say he wished he was more like his sisters. Tranquil. Unruffled. Upstanding citizens. 

That only seemed to worsen the problem, though. 

The golden-suited cat told the king that the household of Mao could offer magic warriors to help with the Ruby, but they were not as well versed in object magic as opposed to forceful magic, and even if they had been, their numbers were too small. It would take many, many more.

Which brought him back to the notion of warlocks. 

That’s what they were called on this side of the world. 

In contrast to the, yes, admittedly wealthy, but principled warriors, they were skinny, spoiled old men with their pointy hats nestled in sprawling woodland properties with cottages, and in some cases, lavish mansions. There were no young warlocks. They all had long, trailing gray beards and spindly limbs. It took decades of study and work to accumulate that much power. 

And, with all that effort, they were not keen on using up any of it. 

Clans like the Mao had, somehow, accelerated this process. The magical Mao sisters were the very picture of health and beauty, even at the ages where the sour seeds of Mao’s bitterness had been sown. And the clan was not about to reveal its magical enhancement secrets. 

The king’s dread of the outside world grew in the weeks of preparation leading up to embarking upon their long journey. 

He had overseen his sleepy little Valley with very little input or contact from the outside world governments. 

But now, it seemed as if he was going to have to strap in and find out how the other half lived. 


End file.
